Wishing for Kittens
by nodumbbitch
Summary: Sometime during the later episodes of Firefly, the crew have a brand new mission. Told from Simon's POV.
1. Tell me what's on your mind

**Wishing for Kittens (if that's what they're called)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Firefly/Serenity. Only Joss Whedon does, and he is my hero for that.

(I usually write Gilmore Girls fanfic, and so I'm diving into something new here.)

Alright, this is pre-Serenity (movie). In between any odd later episode you choose of Firefly. It's told from Simon's point of view.

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**Chapter One**: _Tell me what's on your mind_

So what was I supposed to do, except for stare blankly at the man. Yes, he was tall, broad shouldered, and muscly. So was I. However, he had a gun. That would probably be why I stood down. So Jayne went crashing into my infirmary, looking for god knows what. I stood exahsperated at the doorway as he rifled through my supplies. Soon there were several bodies behind me, drawn by the noise. Kaylee, River, and Book had appeared. "What in hell is goin' on?" Kaylee asked from behind me.

"Oh, you know, just the space monkey being, well... a monkey."

"Enough with the insults, Doc," Jayne said plainly while continuing to rifle through my things. "Just tell me where you keep the gorram tape."

"You could've, you know, asked," I said, walking into the infirmary. I pulled a drawer open quickly and tossed the tape at him. The little roll hit him square in the forehead.

"Simon. You didn't have to hit him like that," Kaylee said.

"Yeah, but it was fun." Oh god, now I was starting to sound like the monster. Jayne pocketed the tape and walked out of the room calmly, brushing by Kaylee, River, and the Shepherd. "I honestly have no idea what is wrong with that man," I said.

"There's nothin' wrong wit him, he's jus' bein' him," Kaylee said.

"Yeah well, next time he decides to 'be him,' I'm going to have to lower myself to his level." Book chuckled and walked out of the doorway, and Kaylee sat down on the operating bed beside me. River was halfway hidden by the doorway, looking in curiously. "I honestly don't understand why he acts the way he does."

"He's jus' used to it is all, Simon. He don't mean nothin' by it." She paused. "Actaully, I'm certain he does, but don't let it phase you none. Just let him alone and you'll be all shiny." She flashed one of her patented cheery, white, infectious smiles at me. I smiled back politely and then looked around my infirmary. "Hell, this isn't even as bad as last time. So don' let him bother you. He'll jus' do it more if you do."

"The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah," River said softly as she walked away from the room. Kaylee and I both sent quizzical looks in her direction, but neither of us said anything. River poked her head back in, and then skittered off. Then followed awkward silence, interrupted by Captain Reynolds on the loudpseaker.

"Kaylee, we're set for landing. Get in the engine room, make sure nothing goes wrong." Kaylee let a dissappointed look slide across her face for a split second before skipping off cheerfully. "Finally, a day to take in the sights," she said to herself before making her way to the engine toom. I couldn't agree with her more. We finally had a day to just wander around the city of Orpheus and take everything in. Also, more importantly to to girls, it was shopping day. Fresh off a successful mission, we finally had money. Mal, the captain, had promised Kaylee, Zoe, Inara, River, and even Wash that they could buy some clean, nice clothes. I was hoping that Wash would finally get something that didn't have some obnoxious Hawaiian print. I believe that it was Hawaiian, back on Earth-the-Was.

I walked up to the bridge and looked around. Despite having only been on this boat a few months, it felt more like home than my own home had. This crew... it felt like family. A hardworking family that was finally getting some time to do what they liked.

We all stood in the cargo bay after landing, I beside Kaylee and River, Kaylee next to Inara. Everyone seemed excited. Zoe and Wash were whispering to each other, the way a married couple would when they had time to spend together. Inara and Kaylee were chattering away quickly at what they could get for Kaylee. I smiled to myself at the excitement spreading throughout the ship. However, Jayne was nowhere in sight, and it seemed as though the speherd was planning to stay on the ship.

I looked over at River. She had a light, playful smile on her face as the hatch opened and she could look out on the city. It was beautiful - full of light and sound. Elegent yet deceptive, serene yet busied. The fading light gave the city a supernatural glow. I must admit, I was happy to be able to run free for once.

I stepped off and gave my hands in turn to Kaylee, River, and Inara, helping them down off the ship. River slipped her hand through my akimbo arm as though I was her escort. Her older brother. We all entered this new world ready and willing to be taken over.

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THE END of chapter one

Hi. I'm skazumbi. This is my first ever Firefly fanfic. YAY! Sad to say that I have not yet seen all of the episodes, as I am watching the reruns on SciFi, but I have seen most of them, and the movie. So this might be a little lackluster. I was eager to get it out, and hopefully I'll be able to continue really soon. If you like (a)Gilmore Girls, (b)Wonderfalls, or (c)Buffy, check out some of my other fics. I'm working on broadening my range. But yeah, feel free to review, or not. It's all good. Hope you liked it and I hope you stay tuned for more chapters.


	2. The New Plan

**Wishing for Kittens (If That's What They're Called)**

**Chapter Two: **_The New Plan_

As everyone got back onto the ship, there was mild chatter. Kaylee was showing off her new dress, and Zoe was showing off a ring that Wash had bought her. Everybody was happy, even River. She had a wide smile on her face as she sneaked around between each member of the crew. I was the only one who knew why.

"Alright, everybody get a move on. Let's get this boat in the air," the captain said, rushing everybody off. We must've gotten a new job, and he must've been eager to share the details. As everybody went their spearate ways, Kaylee came over to me.

"What'dijya think of my dress?"

"It's beautiful, Kaylee. I'm sure you'll be beautiful in it," I said, smiling. River rolled her eyes next to me and wandered off to her bunk. I paid no attention, and neither did Kaylee. "I think we'd better get ready for takeoff," I said to her, desperate to make sure that River wouldn't do anything stupid with her new possession.

"Yeah. Mal'll have a fit if I don't get into that engine. It's jus'... I was wonderin'... what did you get?"

"I just bought something for River. And a few new supplies for the infrimary."

"What'dijya buy River?"

"Just... something she really wanted."

"Not gonna tell me?" Kaylee gave me a little annoyed look, and I immediately felt bad for lying, but I knew I had to. If Mal found out before I told him, he'd probably kick me and River off the ship. He probably would even after I told him.

"She wants to keep it a surprise." I figured that by saying that, Kaylee wouldn't much mind that I was lying. Plus, River did want to keep it a surprise. Or at least, I did. Mal shouted something down at Kaylee and she rolled her eyes and went off.

"Well, the minute she doesn't want it to be a surprise anymore, you tell me," Kaylee called back to me.

"I will," I said to myself before going to join River. She was laying on her bed, giggling softly. I flopped down next to her and heard a mewl of protest. However, it wasn't coming from her, but the little kitten that was prouncing around in front of her. "I doubt that Mal is going to like having a kitten around."

"It's not just a kitten, Simon. It's a little baby, and it understands its place. Not like the crew," she shook her head quickly and then petted the kitten's head. "It knows where it goes, and knows how to get there."

"Talking to animals now, are you? Well, if that's the case and the kitten knows how to get around without getting in anyone's way, I'm sure Mal won't mind." I paused. "No, he will still mind, but maybe not as much. I mean, it is another mouth to feed, but how much can that tiny thing eat?"

"Tiny cat, big world. It's trying to see it all. Just like Mal," River said rather knowling, so I shut my mouth and rolled over on my back. The bed was really comfortable, and the day had seemed a lot longer than it was. However, I had the petulant little kitten banging its head against mine. I sighed and turned my head to glare at it. River giggled. "It likes you."

"But do I like it?" She smiled at me and scooped the kitten up in her hands. "I mean, its cute, River, but can you take care of a kitten?"

"You take care of me. I see you taking care of me, I know what you do. I'm not much more than a kitten, how hard could it be?"

"Well, one, you're not a kitten, and two, you've never even had a pet. How do you know that this will work?" She threw me a look, as if saying that she just knew, and I shouldn't question it so much. "Fine, fine. What are you going to name it?"

"Selene. And it's not an it, it's a girl."

"You're not a girl, you're a kitten," I said, and River laughed at me. She shoved me off the bed and just giggled mercilessly. "Now, that, little kitten, was unneeded." She feigned an apologetic face, which was quickly broken by another giggle. The kitten, Selene, was purring rather loudly and rubbing her face up against River's leg. She seemed genuinely pleased with her new pet, and I knew that she would be so hurt when it had to be taken away. I frowned at the thought, but just sat up to watch them playing.

A voice came over on the loudspeaker, "I hope y'all didn't already eat, 'cause we got quite a meal ready." River sat up and put Selene in the little cage she had come in. "You be a good little girl, you hear?" she said, pointing her finger at the little tiny kitten. It rolled over and started flailing its legs in the air, yet it seemed to be smiling up at its new found friend. River didn't want to leave Selene there, but I was hungry. I had to drag her out of the gorram room.

Everyone was gathering around the table and Kaylee was setting food out. Mal was already seated, and Zoe seemed ready to burst with the excitement of a new job. As everyone took their places and began to fill their plates, Mal cleared his throat. "Well, today was a good, semi-productive day, and I hope you all enjoyed it. I certainly hope we can have many more similar occurences in the future." There was a murmur of agreement around the table. "So, maybe this job'll bring us another one. I met up with someone who was offering up quite a challenge, and only wanted the best. Apparently, we are the best. So, after supper, I s'pose we'll just have to conjure up a plan about how to go about doing this."

"What is the plan?" I asked politely. Mal shot me a look, as though he had been just about to get to it.

"Kittens," he said straight out. There was shock on everyone's face.

"Kittens, sir?" Zoe said, obviously trying to hold back laughter.

"What? There's a good, honest job to be done. All it is is transportin' kittens," Mal had a profound look on his face. Jayne was the first to outright laugh, and soon everyone joined in, except for me, River, and Mal.

"Kittens. It sounds so... adorable," Kaylee said behind chuckles.

"Well, it's a job," Inara said.

"So, why do we need a plan for this?" Wash asked, wiping tears of hilarity off his eyes.

"Because, there's a lot of danger here," River said quietly. "We're trying to cross the road, but ships keep coming to knock us off our feet."

"But... kittens?" Book said, doubling over in a new fit of laughter, which everyone joined in on. I gave River a wary look and she just shrugged her shoulders. Mal sat down, defeated.

"Well... I guess we're transportin' some kittens," he said to himself.

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THE END of chapter two

Hmm... so nobody reviewed Chapter one. But that's okay. Even if nobody reviews it by the time I'm finished, I'll be happy because I wrote it. Yeah... so. Bye


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